Now a new programme called Stories Connect is running in UK prisons, though it has not yet been used as an alternative to sentencing, and the University of Exeter is also using it with people in the community with drug and alchohol programmes.

The testimonials of students on both programmes are pretty inspiring, and should reaffirm for us all just how powerful and important reading is, and why it needs to be part of all our lives.

wow, how cool is that? i did criminology in college, and it is a fact known to all that incarceration is merely a punitive measure. it does not rehabilitate nor does it help society... brilliant idea. but what about our crackheads who can't read or write or even speak english? audio books hey, or perhaps the path of mr. pip (lloyd jones)...;)